What are you learning?

Without exception, the deepest, truest learning points us in the direction of kindness, justice, equality, generosity, peace, humility, and so many other similar qualities — or, in short, love.

The deepest, truest learning does not occur sipping an exotic fruit juice on the beach while watching the sun set (some, to be fair). It occurs in the belly of the beast — when the lights are off, we are scared, and can’t see the way through to safety.

In such times, if we are wise, we question everything. Particularly, we investigate what got us in the predicament we find ourselves in now. If we are really paying attention, painful though it may be to contemplate, inevitably we will find volunteerism for the part — not victimization.

Somewhere — you may have to go the subtlest of levels to find it — there was a choice, conscious or not, to have the experience you are having right now.

And thank goodness for that. If we were purely the victims of unfortunate circumstances, we are powerless to change them and so doom ourselves to further misfortunes.

Finding the flaw in our decision making, even the most egregious and obvious, by no means makes us bad and unworthy people. It just means we took a left turn when we should have turned right, and wound up in a strange town — lost and in need of directions.

There is no way to discover the flaw unless we experience its, what you might call, “harmful” effects.

Once it’s out, we can make the needed adjustment and get back on our way.

That is how we learn. Through trial and tribulation.

The more you learn, the more you can experience what you really want.

The more trial and tribulation… that means you know what.